Monitors And Poll Workers Report Few Problems

Monitors at polling places are not an uncommon sight this election day. These monitors are from the Jewish Reform Movement initiative called Nitzavim and are at the Judson Care Center in Westwood.

Ann Thompson
/ WVXU

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Butler County Board of Elections Deputy Director Jocelyn Bucaro was direct and to the point when hosting an 11:30 a.m. conference call with reporters Tuesday about how the election was going halfway through the day .

"It's going smoothly," Bucaro said. She said long lines had cleared out from the morning and midday voters were able to get in and out quickly. The busiest polling places were in Lakota, Monroe, parts of Fairfield and Middletown.

In Hamilton County, 125 Board of Elections officials were out in the field and quick to respond to minor problems. Board Member Tim Burke said a few poll workers had problems with a machine. They also had to direct voters to a correct precinct.

The major political parties also had hundreds of observers fanned out across many of the polling places in Hamilton County, on the lookout for problems. They apparently weren't finding any - or any of major significance.

As part of the national Reform Jewish Movement initiative called Nitzavim, three dozen monitors are stationed at Cincinnati polling places focused on voter protection.

Rabbi Joel Mosbacher from New York City was at the Judson Care Center in Westwood. WVXU asked him about harassment.

"We haven't seen any indication of that, which is really great," Mosbacher said. "As a rabbi, I'm always thinking about what my sermon is going to be and I don't want my sermon this Friday night to be about voter harassment or anything else. I want this to be a smooth election for Americans and so far we've seen no indication of harassment at all."

Brandon James, voting at the Blue Ash Recreation Center, wasn't worried about harassment. He wonders if our country can heal after a nasty presidential campaign.

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"We're hurting right now," James said. "You can see it in social media. People are losing friendships. Families are having issues and it's really sad."

Scott Dannenfelser is also from Blue Ash, and he said it has been a " pretty emotional election. There's been a lot of things back and forth but it's more out of fear than anything."

One Roselawn voter, Anthony Padgett, took a calmer approach.

"When we wake up tomorrow morning we're going to have a new president and who knows?," Padgett said. "We'll see what everybody's going to do in the first ninety days."

Cornelius Roberts, voting in Avondale, is just glad the election is over.

"It got so rough I cut my TV off," Roberts said. "I look at the news and cut it off."